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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Designers I Love: Emily Henderson Take 2

I know I just posted about Design Star winner Emily Henderson, but I felt that I owed all of you a really great interior design post, and this talented lady fit the bill once again. The first episode of her new show, Secrets from a Stylist, featured a home redesign for Glee co-creator Ian Brennan.

LIVING ROOM

BEFORE: To be honest, I thought the mostly white living room was looking decent in this "before" shot. I love the Petrie sofa and want it for myself. But clearly the room could use a rug, a piece of artwork or a mirror over the small chest, and some major bookshelf styling. Aside from that, it wasn't entirely hopeless.

AFTER 1: Then wham, bam, thank you ma'am! Emily steps in and wows me like I didn't know I could be wowed! First - there's the grey walls to make the trim and bookshelves pop. Le sigh. Then there's the rock star trunk doubling as a coffee table. Le sigh again. The pouf, rug, ladder, and navy sofa are just icing on this delicious cake of beauty.

AFTER 2: Emily's iconic eclectic style really stands out in the dining nook of the same room. The lanterns seem slightly out of place, but hey - that's styling.

MASTER BEDROOM

BEFORE: Then you see the master bedroom. This room was a lot more dreary than the "before" of the living room. It definitely looks like a guy's handiwork. And I'm using the term "guy" to mean "typical man with no taste or style direction." That bedding hurts my eyes.

AFTER 1: I think we all see the difference here. Love the navy accents. Not sure why Emily didn't add any window treatments - even white wooden blinds would have been the perfect accent to this quasi-nautical theme of white, navy, and distressed wood!

AFTER 2: I loves the strong lines of the dresser.

GUEST ROOM

BEFORE: What we see here is a sad, helpless little space with an awkward shape, unfortunate built-in seating, and even worse upholstery. One needs major vision to turn this room around.

AFTER 1: Fortunately, Emily has a degree in "major vision" (as I like to call it). Goodbye, built-ins, hello fabulous wallpaper and room for two.

AFTER 2: This vignette defines charm. For starters, it's a vintage trunk. Awesome. And the sweet, dainty accents and antique mirror don't overwhelm the small piece of furniture yet they provide balance to the antique-looking chandelier over the bed.

OFFICE

BEFORE: Then there is the office. This is the before/after that left me sitting in my chair proclaiming "Holy shnikies!" and deciding that I could NOT not post this. The before shot is a sad compilation of great pieces - a sawhorse desk always has potential, as does the vintage chair. (And as far as I'm concerned, a photo of one Sue Sylvester should be worked into any interior. She's the bomb.)

AFTER 1: --------------------------------------------------

(That means I'm speechless.)

AFTER 2: Fine, I will list some of the things I love, even though it should be clear why this room is fantastic. Dramatic grey walls. Sleek, white furniture. Vintage trunk as coffee table (again - and I still love it). Perfectly styled bookshelves. The vintage fan. The antler/lighting/art combo above the couch. The hide rug. The French doors to what I can only imagine is a lovely terrace overlooking the Hollywood hills. Ok, I think you get it. I love this space. And Emily Henderson is amazeballs.

So... does this make up for all the short posts you've been getting lately?! Are we still friends? I loooove you! : )

What a wonderful post. I love how you showed the before/after photos and gave us the scoop. I have to admit, when I first saw the LR before photo, I thought "well that's kinda cool, but something's missing." Then, I saw the after...WOW! Simply stunning (except I don't think I'd want that painting above the fireplace, but hey, that's just me!). Love the gray walls. I'm thinking about painting mine gray, but I'm afraid of getting the wrong shade! Someday!